-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Like a stereotypical beauty pageant , it looks like thin will be in at the world 's largest annual gadget convention next week in Las Vegas .

At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show , computer makers will be pushing a new breed of ultra-thin , ultra-light laptops amid a sea of razor-thin smartphones and tablets .

Last year , 140,000 people in the technology industry convened at the Las Vegas Convention Center to mingle and gawk at cutting-edge hardware . The organizers expect to welcome at least that many people next week .

Electronics makers use CES as a platform to show the types of products they plan to release in the coming year . The compact disc player , high-definition television and Blu-ray each debuted at past conventions . Decades since its formation , the yearly six-day event is a spectacle .

But with some of the largest players in today 's consumer electronics industry shunning CES , the trade show 's impact may be waning .

Apple , the world 's most valuable technology company , and Amazon , an upstart in tablets and the leader in e-readers , do not participate . Google 's operating systems can be found in partners ' booths , running on phones , tablets and TVs , but the software giant does not run a booth .

And Microsoft , which will deliver its 14th CES presentation Monday , announced recently it will not have a booth or participate in the keynotes after this year 's event .

`` Are we doing something because it 's the right thing to do , or because ` it 's the way we 've always done it ? ' '' a Microsoft spokesman asked rhetorically in a statement .

The big product categories that will dominate the CES show floor next week , according to manufacturers and analysts , are not revolutionary . They are expected to be thinner , lighter and more refined versions of gadgets that have already gained a toehold with consumers .

Tablets

Electronics makers have been chasing after Apple 's iPad for two years , and the racetrack is expected to get more crowded next week .

Google and Samsung last month released the first phone running Android 4.0 , which is Google 's first system that 's designed to work consistently on either a phone or a tablet . At CES , tech companies will showcase plenty of phones with that software , but the touchscreen tablets with Android 4 will be prevalent .

Not to get left out of the party it started about a decade ago , Microsoft is stepping up its tablet efforts . The next major version of Windows will have a revamped interface for tablet computers , which will present programs as tiles that can be touched to fill the screen .

Analysts expect to see a bevy of Windows 8 tablets at CES .

With so many options , bargain hunters may get to pick something besides Amazon 's Kindle Fire , which lit up holiday sales last month . -LRB- The Fire actually has quite a bit of Android code under the hood . Sorry , Microsoft . -RRB-

Ultrabooks

Windows wo n't be just for tablets , of course . A new breed of computers called Ultrabooks will launch at CES from several PC manufacturers .

If the tablet wars are a response to the iPad , then Ultrabooks follow in the footsteps of Apple 's MacBook Air . They are thinner and lighter than the average laptop because they typically do not have disc drives , and instead of hard drives , use flash memory , which is faster but more expensive .

Microsoft will enable this anti-disc computer with the application store in Windows 8 . But the Ultrabook initiative is being driven by Intel , which makes the processor that runs them .

`` You have Intel pushing heavily on this very thin but relatively traditional clamshell form factor without a lot of emphasis on touch , '' NPD Group analyst Ross Rubin said in a phone interview . `` And then you 've got Microsoft pushing the touchscreen tablet experience . ''

Netbooks appear to be on their way out . That 's a bad sign for Google , whose Chromebooks have struggled to challenge Microsoft in PC operating systems .

Internet TVs that also do 3-D

TVs have long been the centerpiece of CES and of the consumer electronics industry as a whole . For the last few years , the big push has been in three-dimensional viewing technology , but demand has been small .

Meanwhile , Internet services are also working their way onto television sets . Netflix and Pandora have seen tremendous growth on TV platforms .

For the 3-D optimists , app-friendly TVs , which also happen to work with 3-D glasses , could allow for more 3-D video from independent filmmakers who distribute over the Web , Rubin noted .

CES is expected to provide a launchpad for TVs that are smarter about how they let watchers access Web content , analysts say . Google has reportedly invested more in its TV platform , which should be evident at CES .

The electronics giants do not want to get beaten to another big opportunity by Apple , which is rumored to be working on a TV set of its own . Do n't expect Apple to show up at CES with a big screen though . Or to show up at all .

Connected cars

As the automotive industry strives for a rebound , car makers are looking for high tech to be their guide .

Several car companies have lined up CES presentations . They are expected to announce partnerships with popular Internet software companies and unveil technical wonders available at the touch of a button on the steering wheel . Dieter Zetsche , the head of Mercedes-Benz Cars , will present a keynote speech Tuesday .

MOG , the music-streaming service , plans to announce integration with a line of cars Tuesday . And since last CES , Pandora has more than doubled the number of cars that tap into its streaming radio service , Pandora founder Tim Westergren said in a phone interview .

`` These companies see the car as a software platform , '' Westergren said . `` It 's the computer on four wheels . ''

Apps

Sure , CES is about gadgets , but the programs that run on them have become a key selling point .

Many electronics makers have apparently decided that each new phone , tablet , car or refrigerator should allow owners to update their Facebook statuses .

`` Software has simply become so critical to the overall customer experience , '' said Rubin , the NPD Group analyst . `` It 's no longer an optional part of the business . ''

Software makers are eager to exploit this reality . Many say they will tout their wares at partners ' booths and in private meetings . For example , online video provider Vimeo plans to make a major announcement Monday to coincide with the start of CES .

Vimeo CEO Dae Mellencamp said in an interview at the company 's New York headquarters that CES has emerged as an important venue for her company and others like it . `` It 's the only trade show I attend all year , '' she said .

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The Consumer Electronics Show brings a slew of new gadgets

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Tablets running Google 's Android and Microsoft 's Windows 8 will debut

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Ultrabooks , a new type of thinner laptop , are expected to make a splash

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But some of the largest players in the consumer electronics industry are shunning CES